Ilo is one of three provinces that make up the Moquegua Region in Peru.

The province is the largest mining center in all of southern Peru.

It extends north–south through the region's coastal area, forming a bay.

As of 2005, the Instituto Nacional de Estadística e Informática estimates the province's population to be 68,363.

Persons originating from other regions of the country make up 51.6% of the population and 0.3% of residents were born abroad.